Thursday, October 19, 2006

John K. Toys - George and Jimmy

I'm a big toy collector. I have a ton of toys of cartoon characters I loved as a kid-especially the Hanna Barbera characters like The Flintstones.

YAY! IT'S THE WRONG COLORS AND EVERYTHING!

I always dreamed of having toys of my own characters. When Ren and Stimpy hit it big, merchandisers swarmed on Nickelodeon begging for licences of my cute cartoon characters. They then proceeded to make the ugliest Goddamn toys I ever saw. I was shocked!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH!

In fact most cartoon toys now are hideous, so anyway a few years ago Kevin Kolde and I decided to make our own toys so that they wouldn't look repulsive.

Here's a bunch of them for you to "oogle" as Eddie says.

I'm curious, are any of you toy collectors out there? How much do toys like this go for these days? They are about 16" tall and very huggable.Ask Shera how much George satisfies her every important need!http://www.sherapix.com/

Jack Black and I were walking around Hollywood one day and he was carrying a Jimmy doll and girls kept running up to him, and after getting over the shock of seeing their favorite star in person then jumped all over the doll wanting to know all about him.If you saw these buggers in comic stores, would you snap 'em up?

John, I am curious, how well did the 3 stooges dolls sell? I also remember that you had paint sets. The Jimmy and George dolls were fab. Oh, to answer part of your general question, I also collect toys, but I seem to have more of the old tin litho toys from the 60's (Marx, which also made those great 'TVkins) those were very well made and the color litho work still holds up.

John, of course I'd buy them! Especially the vinyl/rubber/plastic things - they're so well-executed. I still have in my possession a Ren and Stimpy duo from way-back-when: Ren's bellybutton is a pullstring that makes him say his famous phrases, and I think Stimpy just makes fart noises or something when you squeeze his belly. Niiiice.

Hi, I was out blogging and found your site. It certainly got my attention and interest. I was looking for bath information and even though this isn't a perfect match I enjoyed your site. Thanks for the resd!

I've never seen the toys in person and I would love to have any of them. I never bought the R&S toys for the reason you mentioned but I do have a bust of them. Were your toys available in Canada? That's usually the other problem. If you made an online store, I would definately order them.

I'd like a spumco doll made of a material that could squash and stretch and distort like in the cartoons, but it reverts back perfectly... So you could like stretch the eyballs out or flatten itlike a pnacake but it'd go back to normal if left alone after a bit.

I remember as a little kid, I knew someone who had a stuffed Ren doll. But, what puzzeled me about it was that the face was plastic, and the rest of the body was fuzzy. Plus, Ren's tail was REALLY short!

Were there actually and Jimmy toys released? I'm thinking I saw one in this secondhand shop in Hamamatsu, Japan. When I go back next month I'll have to look and see if I actually did see that or I was hallucinating.

They have these shops called Village Vanguard over there for kitschy pop culture stuff and reggae/hemp items, plus punk and motorcycle crap.

I think those cats would eat this stuff up- they love Snoopy and Spongebob. I was always having to draw Spongebob for high school girls!

I actually bought the George and Jimmy dolls a while back... I got the George one at a flea market (along with the Sody pencil topper), and I got Jimmy of the Monsters in Motion web site... I then proceeded to get the Jimmy and George pencil toppers to finish off my set. Please tell me you will make the Sody doll so my collection can be complete!! (Yeah, I know I still have to get the Jimmy in Space version, but that will happen one day...) I also have the Ren & Stimpy from Palisades... I just absolutely love these characters!!

I know Nickelodeon made real ugly Ren & Stimpy toys but I always thought the talking R & S dolls from 1992 looked good. They look like they were made the same as the George & Jimmy dolls. What did you think of the 1992 talking R & S dolls? I mean the talking Ren doll had to be your voice at that time right?

Hi john, my name is kelly larson and i work at a comic store called comics archives, we have a barney rubble from that flinstones series in really good condition if your interested, we only have 30 bucks on it, it would even cheaper than that, I cant find any information of it, he has green hair and it super cute but im sure you already know all about him. Thought you might be interested. gimme me an email if youre interested.

It's funny you should mention Jack Black. For a couple of years now I've been online asking people what they think about a biographical film about the life of Tex Avery. Many love the idea and have offered many casting suggestions. I've even had some corrosponance through e-mail with Tex's daughter Nancy. She loves the idea too. One of my teachers from animation school insisted that Jack Black was the perfect actor to portray Tex. I was taken aback by this at first. No offense to Black, but I've only seen him play characters in movies that were pretty much himself. I wasn't sure he'd be able to handle such a role. I haven't seen him in King Kong. Did he protray a different type of character?Anyway, John, since you know him, it would be interesting to put the idea in front of him and see what he thinks about it.

I regret not buying the George and Jimmy dolls. I had the chance several times (the dolls were once at the Newbury Comics near my aunt's house, and around 2004 they were being sold on some website). I would LOVE if John K. made some more plush dolls of his characters (and heck, maybe even some characters who aren't his own, since he DID make 3 Stooges dolls long ago).

I do have some Ren & Stimpy dolls, though. I own the farting Ren (which is ugly I'll admit, but I think that's intentional) which I got for Christmas in 1992 (and in August 2004, John K. himself signed the doll's butt:), as well as 2 Stimpy dolls: The Talking one (which is pretty well made IMHO) and a smaller one with a "Stupid U" t-shirt. I remember that around 2004 a company named Sababa Toys (they also made/make Fraggle Rock dolls, FYI) made dolls of Ren & Stimpy. I didn't buy them, but I remember them being quite ugly.

Hi John:Im Paul, im 20 years old and im from Chile, a far far away country...in the ass of the world.I would like to have one of the spumco's toy.Where i can buy these??besides, we are doing a pilot of a cartoon serie, the show calls "La Polilla"(The Moth) and it's really funny and weird. Im gonna show you a few frames of the pilot next time.

I've still got my George and Jimmy dolls nicely tucked away in their packaging. I still haven't opened my box of Sugar Corn Waste from the Jimmy paint by numbers set. I wonder whose in their. Those toys of your characters were just the best. I only wished I got the Stooges when they came out. I hope you release some more some day. By the way those Irv Spence models are up now.

I love toys too! I always wanted to make toys of all kinds, not just my characters. Toys these days aren't as cool as they used to be. I hate any action figure with an 'action button'!

I used to be kinder-surprise-obsessive in the long-gone days of my youth (I'm still a little crazy over them.) I remember in the mid-90s that you could get YOGI kinder toys. Here's a link to a picture of a set of them from kinders:

http://i4.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/0d/f0/a2_1_b.JPG

I only have the blue Yogi, one of Ranger Smith... and maybe one or two more.. They're in my attick somewhere.

I would totally buy a Jimmy and George doll if they were in a comic book store, if they were still around. I would love to have a Cigaretts the Cat plush too, if they existed... ;)

sorry to double comment, but I think, to the right buyer, these could go for at least 50 dollars! There seems to be a small number of them, and you are a well known guy, so I think 50 seems about right. Normal action figure toys that aren't really ment for playing with cost a whole 10 to 15 dollars!

I DID see those buggers in a comic store years ago and I DID snatch them up. I have Future Jimmy and George Liquor.

Also I have most of the (crappy) ren and stimpy dolls that came out in the 90s... However when I was little I loved them and played with them constantly. I still have them!! My friends were making them fart the other night.

Your toys are great; the George Liqour items in particular. If you would offer them again, or I saw them for sale somewhere now, I'd definitely snag one or two. Right now there's a fair amount of neat vinyl toys out. For example, over at KidRobot, or other online toy sellers/manufacturers, there's a big selection of adult-oriented toys and models. I have just started collecting again, so I'd be very interested in any Spumco swag!

I am a toy collector. When the Jimmy and George dolls came out years ago, I was too young and too jobless to afford the price tag. All I could get my grubby hands on were the George, Jimmy and Sody Pop pencil toppers, who now chill proudly with the likes of a many Gentle Giant Star Wars bust.You were asking how much a toy collector would pay for such items nowadays.Hmmm. I don't know. I remember them having a hefty price tag (for a doll), I don't know that I would pay that much today, when for a few bucks more you can get a mini statue or bust. I have a few of the Palisades R&S line, but they really do not compare to the awesome-ness of the pencil toppers.I guess what I am trying to say is; I wouldn't pay much for a doll today, but I would pay a good amount for a resin statue or highly detailed "action" figure of the George Liquor crew. I mean, like a John K. production...not some bastardized MezcoPalisadeMcFarlane Hoo Ha. I read above someone else said that they weren't too happy with the Palisades "look"...although their Mr. Horse was pretty spot on...even the variant with the "nervous" eyes...although...(damn I'm ranting)...my Mr. Horse rubber gloves and socks and hat are drying up and cracking...anyone else have this happening???Anywho...WHO AM I KIDDING...I WOULD BUY ANYTHING YOU MADE SIR JOHN K...

I guess I was getting at...I want a sexy and hot as hell Sody Pop statue...much like the Azimuth designs...

I used to sweat the heck out of Sody Pop years ago. I never thought that a cartoon could get me all tingly, but she did. Sure, sure...look down your nose at me for saying that, but I'll be damned if I am the only one that got a stir in the pants after reading Spumco's Comic Book and seeing all the scantily clad images of Sody Pop trying to seduce our young and dumb Jimmy. I waited years for my doorbell to ring to have a hot underage chicky babe throw herself at my repulsive self.

*cough*

So yea.Sody Pop (highly detailed) statue.Put me down for one...*pant*...at any price.

Me again (Raph)One more request...please make a Catholic School Girls statue...the infamous image of all three walking away after teasing Jimmy in the comic!!!Like all three of them with that "looking back over the shoulder" look...

One of my favorite things at work is the George doll you signed to Lazzo. It sits on one of the couches at Williams Street. I remember when all those crappy-ass Ren & Stimpy figures and dolls came out. Even though I was like only 11 or 12, I still remember being annoyed at how off model they were and never bought any.

Hey John,I'm a collector.I've got George Liquor, Jimmy, and Jimmy of the Future.I'm mainly a collector of Jim Henson memorabilia from the 50s-80s. The Merchandise puppets and figures that look almost or choose to the actual character.Certain molds and how they made them really fascinate me. How you can make something as innocent and toys for kids and to easily mistake them as a replica to Jim's REAL creations.I noticed how merchandise looks crummy and ugly like you said. It drives me nuts. But hey, there's Hollywood for you. It's about money and not quality like it should be with film, art, and their own merchandise. I agree with you John._Eric

I've got the non-talking George and the non-outer space Jimmy. Am I misremembering, or were there smaller versions, too? I always wanted the Three Stooges dolls (they were made in two sizes, too, right?) and the Spumco pencil toppers. You can still find this stuff at some of the conventions out here in NY like Big Apple Con and I-CON... I think it's just one woman/dealer who has them! Oh, and I've got Reindeer Ren and Farting Stimpy, although I don't think the latter farts anymore.

I"ve got a full set of the pencil toppers (george, Jimmy and Sody Pop) that I found in a comic store in Philthy a few years ago.... They're the pride of my toy collection.... If the George and Jimmy dolls suddenly made themselves available again, I'd snatch them up like a little girl with jacks.....

I would buy all! I collect toys too, especially R&S/Spumco stuff, Japanese Capsule toys (Gashapon) and plush toys.I bought some of your T-shirts (Phil the pocket pup and Nit Hoatzin). I wear them on my last trip at easter, everyone who see it like it, especially Phil the pocket pup. I ´ll buy more! I´m happy that you sell clothes with your cool characters on it! Today there are not many clothes I like.

Do you make more of these clothes (Please)?Why are not your name or the Spumco-logo on the clothes too?

Can´t wait to get the new R&S-DVD! I made many advertisement about the DVD in Germany, many R&S-fans didn´t know that you made new R&S-episodes, they were happy as they hear that.

To everyone: BUY THE CLOTHES AND THE DVD!!! :D

Do you collect "Dream-pets"? I saw some on your photos. I think that they are some, because they looks like the stuff what I have at home(but I think mine are the new versions of it).

I WANT THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRLS FROM SPUMCO TO BE REAL!!!Yea, I am at work and am obsessed with John's blog. I check it a at least 50 times a day to see if he has any updates. I never chime in cuz I really don't know much about what he talks about, but am learning. Today he is talkin' toys and that is my world.Not that this post has much to say on the subject other than...I'm bored at work...

so yea.

Sody Pop or Catholic School Girl figures that I can lay in bed with and...oops the boss is coming!!!

...Raph again. Actually...you know what would be cool???A Sody Pop doll in the vain/vein of the George or Jimmy dolls!!!Really detailed face (like the model with the tongue sticking out) and a real insanely detailed voluputious body!!! Yea that's it!!!Oh man. John stop teasing and make this already!!!!!

Hi John,I Have all of these! Jimmy, Talking George Liquor, and the Stooges Dolls of course. they are soo cool and ahead of their time. and all the Paint Sets and coloring books were sublime. I snuck into toyfair jsut to get a look at them. They inspired me to leave the corporate toy industry full time and pursue my own damn toys. My Girlfiriend Annie OWens and I started Hi Fructose magazine and we'd love to do a piece on you and these toys. Give us an email at info@hifructose.com and let us know.rawk!Atta

Hi John,I Have all of these! Jimmy, Talking George Liquor, and the Stooges Dolls of course. they are soo cool and ahead of their time. and all the Paint Sets and coloring books were sublime. I snuck into toyfair jsut to get a look at them. They inspired me to leave the corporate toy industry full time and pursue my own damn toys. My Girlfiriend Annie OWens and I started Hi Fructose magazine and we'd love to do a piece on you and these toys. Give us an email at info@hifructose.com and let us know.rawk!Atta

Tex Avery's daughter made possible DIC's 1990's "Tex Avery Theater" cartoon show. She sold the rights to the late genius's name for the money because she hated her dad. DIC made of it what they always make. Could Jack Black play Tex? Could he play Robert Armstrong? Too bad Peter Lorre is dead. You'd first have to faithfully recreate the mid 1930's to get an idea of everything that Tex and Clampett were working against. Who the hell you gonna hire as Clampett - Keanu Reeves? Good luck, just don't do it with DIC.

I bought the Space Jimmy when it came out. Not leaving its box, its craptacular helmet (thin flimsy plastic) popped open within about a month, never to close again. A helmet worthy of a McFarlane toy in terms of breaking.Great boot sole nipples, tho...

I was never a big toy fan and even for toys I love, I avoid buying them because I simply don't have the room. A Muddy Mudskipper cereal caddy would be da bomb, though. I would still donate $20 if you had a PayPal link on your site, though.

If I saw such wonderful toys (the verisimilitude!) adorning the shelves of my favorite comic book type store, I would certainly pick them up and take them home with me, after paying for them, of course.

I own the George Liguor American Doll and I keep him right on my desk at my office, and everybody always comes in and asks me all about him. I just tell them he's a doll of my distranged ubber-macho conservative uncle, and in a very real sense it's TRUE! I personally think everybody has a George Liquor in there family to one degree or another.

Tex Avery's daughter made possible DIC's 1990's "Tex Avery Theater" cartoon show. She sold the rights to the late genius's name for the money because she hated her dad.

Excuse me Mr. or Mrs. anonymous (if that is your real name) but that's a rather wild accusation there. Through many of my corespondance with Nancy, she's expressed nothing but love for her father. She's been trying to promote his name for years. It's just that not every decision was a good one (like that late '90's DIC program).If you want to convince people that she hated Tex Avery in any way, you're going to need a lot more proof than that. (Sorry to hijack this thread. Back to the toys.)

I love how John pays homage to Tex Averys gag of showing literal interpretations of old sayings and figures of speech in the R+S pilot. Did anyone else catch that?

Like when he says "old man hunger was gnawing at their bellies" and it shows the actual old man doing just that. There's a few more.

If you watch Uncle Tom's Cabana, they have similar montage. One of them is "Death was staring them right in the face" or something like that. Obviously they show a creepy looking Grim Reaper sitting right at the table with Uncle Tom, staring him dead in the eyes.

The R+S montage flows perfectly, it's very similar to the feel of that in the Tex Avery episode. It was an awesome way to pay tribute to a funny gag, and even make it a little better.

Nowadays,what new toys could Spumco do? Ah, there is a potential Heartaches glitter paint and make your own cartoon book set, a He-Hog action figure with sens-a-riffic powers (doubling as a dinner bell/ smoke detector), a George Liquor and his women collector's set ( half-Mabel for wall mounting, scantily dressed Sody Pop (short shorts and man's button shirt tied in a knot at front of chest) and Big Sister Merle in nothing but a towel and a leer, a cartoony Liberty Enlightening The World Statue with a teary-eyed George holding a US flag, saluting her ), goose-necked razor wielding Harvey the Barber with short haired Jimmy The Idiot in barber chair (complete with Vitalis, shaving kit and strop), George's pet talking loud mouthed bass, with twenty five filthy despicable insults, leash included, a plush 18" Bugs Pussy with plush Trash Can/Hamper - and for the really gross sickos, a Cigarettes The Cat desktop cigarette dispenser - at the push of a button, a fresh cigarette pops out his from his butt! - and Dirty Dog, Cigarettes, Bugs Pussy, and Cigarettes's hot girlfriend puppets - kids and adults alike can act out their own WPH/film noir/ psychodramas for appreciative friends and well heeled audiences alike.

I thought that these Ren and Stimpy toys Palisades put out a while back were amazing:

http://palisadestoys.com/features/RenNStimpy/action_figures.html

John, did you have any input at all on these? I thought they were very well done and made sure to buy every single one I could get my hands on. Those George and Jimmy pencil toppers sit proudly on my toy shelf as well, I definately would love to see more toys from the mind of John K!!!!

hi john. actually, if you ever make toys for Ren & Stimpy in classic situations from the old series, you would sell tons of it. Peeps just love those great "come-backs", like it's happening with the 80's tv shows, turning into comics and new toys.

at least, my generation remembers R&S perfectly and how cool it was. i would love to have a Ren in full fairy tale costume, or the Toaster super guy.

The actual Jimmy of the Future dolls that I saw (and the one I have) have opaque shoe nipples; the photos here are either of prototypes or there were variants released.I thought it was kind of odd how accurate the Spumco toys look, as John K seems to love the wildly different design of many toys. But then I like the look of that Stimpy thing; I've always wondered if there were hot air ballooning home kits...

I have the 16in Jimmy and George Liqour. Jimmy the Idiot was on Ripping Friends, but I've always wanted to see Jimmy or Soda Pop in R&S. I remember when I used to have the Ren and Stimpy toys that fart when you squeeze them.

I have been a big fan of Spumco for MANY years... my comic book store (my husband, Tate owns it) was lucky enough to get a load of the "adorable" dolls when one of our distributors (for lack of a better word) was dumping them.

No one really knows what they are... so they haven't sold. But, we love them!!

We have a handful of George Liquor and Jimmy (in the Clubhouse) for $14.95 each. Email us or call and ask for Tate if you're interested.

please put the girl of jimmys dreams up.. in her bikini. that would be a hot shirt and toy... please!!!!! i will buy it. i bought the jimmy toy in a comic book store, they have george liquor left :) going back to get it, so dont worry, i won't tell you untill after I buy it hee hee.. ok on ebay I have seen some of these... so don't go out and rush at once... john k, why dont you put spumco stuff on youTube, loved them, will the hidden stuff to click on still come up in there player? I have a few of them download from spumco site... soo cool. put them out on a dvd, sure people would love them, not sure why you didnt put any on this uncut dvd, sure some reason... would be nice a tease so when you do put one out though... you better not stop animation , i will hunt you down haha... your the man.. do more ok !!!?

I own all three of the beautiful Spumco dols and keep them on top of my bookshelf. I keep the pencil toppers on pencils which are in cans on my desk. A female friend commented on Sody's expression. She seems genuinely surprised that there's a pencil in her butt. I like that Jimmy just looks satisfied.